DMXcat Quick Start Guide

DEVICE REQUIREMENTS:

General:
Bluetooth ≥ 4.0

Android:
Android ≥ 6.0

iPhones:
iOS 11 or greater (iPhone 6s and newer)

Amazon:
Amazon Fire tablets

Not optimized for tablets

BEFORE PROCEEDING TO SETUP

Download the DMXcat® app from the
App Store or Google Play, or on Amazon (for Amazon Fire tablets) and install on your smartphone.

* Some Amazon Fire Tablets have Light Meter App.

WARNING: Do not let DMXcat rest against hot fixtures or surfaces.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX

DMXcat Hardware Dongle with Features

Turn on the device by pressing the power button- the LED status indicator will flash green.

Launch the DMXcat app. The main menu screen will appear showing four icons, (or two icons on iPhones).

The app scans for nearby devices. The lower status bar indicates when the DMXcat is found.

Press the “SETTINGS” menu on the upper status bar, and select "Device List" and select your DMXcat. The SN to identify your DMXcat is located on the back of the device.

The App connects the smartphone to the device. When the connection is made, the LED indicator will glow steady green, and the lower status bar will display “Connected”.

Press the “LINK” icon to disconnect the DMXcat. Press and hold the power button until the LED indicator flashes four times.

*Note: You must disconnect the DMXcat from the smartphone before it will power down.

APPS

DMX CONTROLLER

When in "Settings" you can choose:

KEYPAD VIEW

• The DMX Controller is used to control a single universe of DMX slots.

• Tapping the screen once will zoom in on a section of addresses.

• Tapping again will show you a keypad, where DMX values can be changed.

• In the settings menu, you can change this display to show sliders instead of a keypad, and percent (0-100%) or decimal (0-255)

• A preset can be saved and named in the top right corner, and it can be recalled from the same menu. Swipe left to remove a preset.

SLIDERS VIEW

0-100 (%) OR
1-255 (DECIMAL)

FIXTURE CONTROLLER

• The Fixture Controller is used to control a single fixture using a DMX profile, or new! multiple fixtures (learn to set up the Multi Fixture feature in FAQ Section II Q4 below).

• Choose a fixture using the database menu.

• Each fixture can be added to a list of favorites with the star button in the bottom left.

• After selecting the fixture, choose the starting DMX address of the fixture, and press “Next” and the fixture’s user interface appears.

• To see more pages of parameters, swipe to the right or tap the small page indicators at the bottom of the screen.

PERSONALITY EDITOR

• The Personality Editor is found in the Fixture Controller app, in the sub menu in the upper right corner of the screen.

• To get started making a personality, press the “+” button, and an encoder wheel will appear. press “Edit” and fill in the information for the DMX slot that you are working with. When you’re done with the data for this DMX slot, hit “save”, then hit “+” to add another attribute. Continue on until you are done. In the pull down menu in the upper right hand corner you will add the Manufacturer Name, Fixture Name, and Personality Name. When you exit, the Editor prompt will ask if you want to save your changes.

• To edit an existing personality to create a new one, load a personality that is similar to the one you want, then enter the Personality Editor and make the changes you want. You will need to enter a Manufacturer Name, Fixture Name, and Personality Name for this new personality.

• Your custom personalities live on your “Favorites” menu in the Fixture Controller app. •To delete a custom personality from your Favorites, click on the Favorite on the Favorites menu, and “unstar” it.

• It is not possible at this time to share my custom personalities with others. And it is not possible to download custom personalities from a DMXcat to a console, or from a console to a DMXcat.

*Note: We add new fixtures to the database as soon as we are aware of them. Utilize the email function inside DMXcat to reach us directly to let us know your fixture needs in the database.

RDM CONTROLLER

• When the app is opened, it will automatically search for any connected RDM compatible fixtures.

• The “Identify” option will cause the fixture to flash, or identify itself in some way.

• The “RDM” option allows the user to change the DMX address, mode, and various other options.

•The “DMX” option will automatically load the fixture’s user interface.

DMX TESTER

•“Analyze DMX”, “View Levels” and “Flicker Finder” require the use of the male to male XLR turnaround that we included with your DMX cat.

• The “Receive” and “Transmit” functions allow the user to read, or to change several parameters involved with DMX timing.

•“View Levels” show the levels sent from a console in real time.

• The “Flicker Finder” function allows the user to find the source of any DMX Flicker on the DMX universe by setting levels and noting if any levels have changed.

DIP SWITCH CALCULATOR

•Either type in a DMX value to read the corresponding to DIP switch, or vice versa.

•The "Step Size" allows the user to step up in address by a fixed amount, allowing for quick addressing of multiple fixtures as once.

•Use the arrows to flip the display left to right or up and down.

LIGHT METER (ANDROID ONLY)

• The Light Meter gives a readout of the current LUX and Lumen/ft² from the light sensor on any Android phone.

RF SPECTRUM ANALYZER

(ANDROID ONLY)

• The RF Spectrum Analyzer scans the 2.4GHz band for any Wi-Fi signals, and displays them in a graph by both strength and frequency.

Setting Up Instructions

Connect the DMXcat device to a standard 5V DC phone charger using the USB to Micro USB charging cable.

The LED status indicator will glow red to indicate that the unit is charging. When finished charging the indicator will turn off.

Pressing the Device Finder control icon on the lower status bar, will cause the unit to beep and flash to aid in finding a misplaced unit.

Accessories CTI Part Number

XLR5M to RJ45 Adapter	6005
XLR5M to XLR3F Adapter	6006
XLR5M to XLR5M Turnaround	6007
XLR5M to XLR3M Turnaround	6008
DMXcat Belt Pouch	6009
USB to Micro USB cable, 6"	6010

DMXcat Frequently Asked Questions

I. Getting Started FAQs

Q1: Do I need a certain version of Bluetooth to be able to connect with DMXcat?

A1: Yes, Bluetooth 4.0 or above.

Q2: How do I know if my phone has Bluetooth 4.0?
A2: If your Android phone can see the DMXcat on the Playstore, then you have it. If your iPhone is version 4s or higher, you have it.

Q3: Will my tablet work with DMXcat?
A3: Yes.

Q4: Are there any phones that don’t work with DMXcat?
A4: Generally, phones that are not Android or iOS will not work with DMXcat. Also, any Android phone 5.0 or lower, and any iPhones that are IOS 9.2 or lower or older than a 4S, will not work with DMXcat.

Q5: How do I get my DMXcat dongle to connect with my phone?
A5: Find your serial number on the back of your DMXcat dongle. Turn on your dongle and turn on your app. Be sure Bluetooth is turned on in your phone. The app will search for all nearby Bluetooth devices. Tap the gear icon to open the “Settings” menu and Select Device list. You will see your device listed as “DMXcat_your serial number”. Tap its connect button. After you have connected this way, your DMXcat app and dongle will automatically connect when both are turned on.

Q6: How do I find my serial number?
A6: Your serial number is on the back of your DMXcat dongle.

Q7: What is the range of the Bluetooth?
A7: About 50’ (15m) depending on conditions.

Q8: What happens if I go out of range?
A8: Your DMX device will behave exactly like it normally does when it loses DMX. Some hold last look indefinitely, some for a limited period of time.

Q9: I only see five apps on my phone, not seven like I saw on box?
A9: DMXcat supports seven apps on Android, but only five on iPhone. iPhone hardware does not support Light Meter or Spectrum Analyzer.

Q10: Can I change any default settings?
A10: Yes, check the “Settings” menu (the gear icon on the home page) for all options.

Q11: My phone has a message that updates are available. Do I need to accept the app updates?
A11: Since many updates are bug fixes, yes you should accept and load them.

Q12: How do I know if my DMXcat dongle has the latest updates?
A12: In “Settings”, select “DMXcat Update”. It will tell you if you are up to date.

Q13: I can’t get my DMXcat to turn off. The green pilot light stays on solid green when I push the power button.
A13: Turn the app off first, then the dongle power button will be blinking. Now power down by holding the power button for two seconds. If you want to power down the dongle while the app is still on, hold the power button down for four seconds.

Q14: What is the battery life?
A14: You will get over 20 hours of use between charges. Turn the dongle off when you are not using it.

Q15: If my battery does run down, will my dongle work with the charger plugged in?
A15: Sure.

Q16: Can I use my DMXcat to troubleshoot my streaming ACN or Art-‐Net?
A16: No, only for DMX.

Q17: I opened my DMXcat app, turned my dongle on and plugged it in to a fixture, but the fixture’s DMX indicator light says it is not receiving DMX.
A17: DMX is not broadcast from the DMXcat until you load the DMX Controller or Fixture Controller.

DMXcat Device Naming

Q18: Can I change the name of my DMXcat?

A18: Yes, but only on Android devices. Go to “Settings”, “Connect to device”. Find your device, select “Rename” and type in your new name. Hit OK. You can change this at any time by repeating these instructions.

II. Fixture Controller FAQs

Q1: Why can’t I find my fixture in the database?
A1: Although we have hundreds of manufacturers and thousands of fixtures in the database, we may not have the exact fixture you are looking for. If you inform us, we will add it. You are two ways you can email us right from the DMXcat app:

On the Fixture Controller app, there is a sub menu in the upper right hand corner that contains several links, one of which is an email directly to CTI. There is also a “Report Problem” selection on the Setup menu and in the Fixture Controller app, and once you have loaded any fixture’s personality, you will see a sub menu in the upper right hand corner of the screen that allows you to “Contact CTI.” Just tell us the fixture you need to add and we will add it to the database.

Q2: Can I write my own custom personality?
A2: Yes. In the Fixture Controller app, the Personality Editor lives on the sub menu in the upper right hand corner of the screen. You can write a new personality completely from scratch, or first load an existing personality and then modify it and save it under a different name. After writing your custom personality it will be stored as a “Favorite” in the Fixture Controller app.

Q3: Can I delete a Favorite?
A3: Just select the Favorite, then “unstar” it in the lower left corner of the screen.

Multi Fixture set up

Q4: How do I use the new! Multi Fixture control features?

A4 (Part A): First make sure all of your fixture personalities are in your Fixture Controller Favorites list, then click on the Multi Fixture Link.

DMXcat Multi Fixture

A4 (continued - Part B): You can then click the "+" icon to start adding fixtures and groups to your setup.

dmxcat multi fixture set up

A4 (continued - Part C): Once you have selected the personality you would like to patch you are presented with the fixture setup screen. Here you identify the Universe and DMX Address of your fixture. You can then decide to patch in one of two modes:
• Channel Range – Select the starting channel/fixture number and enter the number of fixtures to patch
• Fixture Count – Select the starting and ending channel/fixture numbers to patch

If you select Fixture Count mode you can also opt to have the fixture numbers done sequentially or with all the same number by clicking on the 123 icon. You can then select to have the addressing automatically spaced by the number of DMX attributes in the personality or by an offset of your choosing.

dmxcat multi fixture set up

A4 (continued - Part D): You can also choose to add the fixtures to a group. A group enables you to control the common parameters of several fixtures simultaneously or step through the fixtures in sequence.

You can add as many fixtures of different models to a group as is helpful, but the group can only be controlled as a whole if the fixtures all share at least one common parameter (like intensity).

dmxcat multi fixture set up

A4 (continued - Part E): When you have completed patching you will be presented with the list of fixtures in your setup. Their fixture number will contain the colors of any groups they belong to. You can either select fixtures to control or press the 3-dot menu for more options including sorting, filters, saving the current setup or load a preexisting one, and switching to the group view.

The group view can also be reached by swiping left from the fixture list.

dmxcat multi fixture set up

A4 (continued - Part F): In the Group List you can click on a group to control the common parameters of all of the fixtures in that group (for example a group containing different models of moving lights will likely have at least intensity, pan, and tilt in common.)

This enables quick checking of a group of fixtures simultaneously.

dmxcat multi fixture set up

A4 (continued - Part G): When you select an individual fixture from within the group you will be controlling just that fixture, but you can step through the fixtures in the group using the right and left arrows. The attributes you change will transfer to the new fixture enabling you to quickly step through the group to test your fixtures.

The last show setup you had open will be present when you open the app again. You can save and recall as many setups as you need giving you the flexibility to save your Multi Fixture setups for different applications. Any saved setups are stored locally to your device, so they will persist even if you have to uninstall and reinstall the app.

Q5: How can I change the RDM information for multiple fixtures??

A5: While in the RDM Controller screen if you long press on any of the discovered fixtures it will enable the multiple RDM selection mode. Pressing the RDM Icon will then take you to the RDM Control screen. All RDM parameters that are common between the selected devices will be available to change on all of those devices simultaneously. As an example you can select all of a fixture model and update their personalities at the same time, or select several fixtures to perform a factory defaults.

III. RDM Controller FAQs

Q1: Why don’t all manufacturers use RDM?
A1: RDM is complex for manufacturers to implement. DMXcat is a great example of a useful RDM tool so we hope to see RDM more widely used in the future to help make your job easier.

Q2: Why doesn’t my fixture respond via RDM?
A2: It is probably does not have RDM implemented by the manufacturer. Check the fixture’s manual to see if it supports the use of RDM.

Q3: My fixture does support RDM and I can access it through the DMXcat’s RDM app, but the fixture’s personality won’t load when I push the DMX button on the RDM screen.
A3: Our database must not have this fixture listed. You can report that to us by email on the “Report Problems” line in the “Settings” screen.

Q4: Is there a way to refresh RDM?
A4: Swipe down on the RDM screen.

Q5: My lights are flickering while using DMXcat?
A5: The DMXcat defaults to a low speed DMX mode to preserve battery. Some fixtures do not fully comply with the DMX standard. To fix this issue go to "DMX Tester" > "Transmit DMX" and turn off battery save mode. Most fixtures work in Fast or Medium modes.

IV. DMX Tools FAQs

Q1: I want to use the “Analyze DMX” and “View Levels” functions but the DMXcat has a female XLR and my DMX cable also has a female XLR. How do I plug in?
A1: Use the male to male XLR5 turnaround that came with your DMXcat. If you need three pin to five pin adaptors you can get them from your City Theatrical dealer.

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